Ceremony Saturday To Open Vilas Co. Bike Trail

Wisconsin DNR Secretary Cathy Stepp will take part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony Saturday for a new stretch of Northwoods bike trail.

The Manitowish Waters Bike Trail ceremony takes place Saturday at 1 p.m. at the wayside at the intersection of Vilas county roads "H" and "K".

The ribbon cutting concludes the completion of an 8-mile stretch of the approximately 45-mile-long trail connecting Manitowish Waters and Boulder Junction.

Northern Highland American Legion State Forest Superintendent Steve Petersen says the new trail segment has some unique features....

".....this is a very pretty trail. It goes through some rustic parts of the forests, across some wetlands. One of the main features of the trail is a lengthy trail that crosses Rice Creek that shows some nice views of that water body. It also has some long boardwalks that cross wetlands. There are some unique features and I think people will enjoy biking on it...."

He says the DNR contributed state forest land for most of the trail and a gravel pit to provide construction material. Petersen thinks the whole trail will become a travel destination...

"....because Boulder Junction is now in the middle of this trail instead of the end that may change some of the economics around that and make these communities...Boulder Junction, Manitowish Waters, St. Germain, Sayner (become)more destinations for bicyclists where it will be the purpose of the vacation rather than part of the vacation...."

The paved trails began with the first segment connecting North Trout campground to the town of Boulder Junction, funded with a combination of Stewardship and D.O.T. funding. The new section was primarily funded by the Manitowish Waters Trail Foundation.